


Pinned Down

by Rangergirl3



Series: Whumptober 2019 [16]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hunk & Keith (Voltron) Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Keith (Voltron) Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21649975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rangergirl3/pseuds/Rangergirl3
Summary: An extraction mission goes wrong.
Relationships: Hunk & Keith (Voltron)
Series: Whumptober 2019 [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1506101
Comments: 17
Kudos: 210





	Pinned Down

Laser guns were _really_ loud.

Intellectually, Hunk knew the situation he was in probably called for a more detailed observation of facts, like 'Where's the nearest cover I can get to?', or "I sure hope we can make it out of this building before the ceiling crushes us to death", but his brain had clearly decided to take a vacation. At the worst possible time. _Lucky_ him.

Someone grabbed his arm and yanked him sideways, out of the path of crashing rubble. As splinters of rock shot into the air, Hunk felt tiny shards, as sharp as knives, slam against his Paladin armor. 

_Oh, this was not good._

Beside him, Keith cursed. Hunk wondered if he'd learned that phrase from Shiro, or maybe Allura. It was sort of hard to hear, but it might have been Galra or Altean, or maybe Hunk had missed some vocabulary lessons back at Garrison. Either way, it wasn't a polite phrase.

Over the comms, Lance's words came in as a sort of background buzz. It might have been comforting, except for the fact that the Blue Paladin's voice was high-pitched with fear for his best friend.

"Run _faster_ , guys -"

"-ucking **trying** , Lance," Keith snarled back. "Where's the Castle?!"

More laser guns. More falling rubble. More noise. 

_Boy, this was loud._

"-en minutes out - you can do it, Hunk, just keep going -"

Hunk had no breath to spare for a reply. Fear and adrenaline made everything sharper, but somehow, further away at the same time. Maybe that was why the fear at the next avalanche of sound didn't hit him at the same time the rockfall did. The tunnel's exit was only ten steps away when the world just....went away.

* * *

When Hunk opened his eyes, the noise had stopped. 

Well, most of it.

"Hunk! Hunk, buddy, are you okay?!"

Hunk managed a "ugh" in reply. Over his comms, he could hear Lance's quick sob of relief. "I thought - you might have -"

Hunk raised one hand to his forehead.

"Oh...man...what happened?"

Lance's voice caught.

"-you got - you got hit by some of the debris - but - uh -"

Hunk found that he was lying on his stomach, half-in, half-out of what looked to be a massive cave-in. The tunnel ahead of him was clear, aside from a few scattered rocks and pieces of timber that had once held up the roof of the tunnel.

_But...where was...?_

* * *

* * *

The rockfall had caught them both, but with any luck, Hunk might be able to crawl free of the debris. The Yellow Paladin had been closer to the tunnel's exit. Maybe he'd escaped being completely swallowed by the cave-in.

Keith was fairly certain that he hadn't been so fortunate.

For one thing, he couldn't move. The debris from the cave-in pressed him flat against the tunnel's floor. His Paladin's armor had saved his life for the time being, but most of it had shattered from the impact.

He lay on his stomach, but his chest felt as if it were on fire.

Broken ribs, maybe?

Footsteps pounded along the corridor, coming towards him.

Just for a moment, Keith thought it was his friends.

Then he realized that it couldn't be.

The sounds were coming from where the enemy fire had come from.

_Oh...shit..._

* * *

* * *

Hunk sat up, far slower than he liked. His head felt as if he'd slammed it against a wall. Or maybe it was the other way around...?

_Ow._

Lance was chattering like crazy over Hunk's comms. Something about the enemy coming down the tunnel, and how Hunk should get to cover, _now_.

"...but...w-what - about -"

"Hunk, you can't help him in time! Get to cover, now, and we'll be there in - in less than five dobashes, okay?!"

Hunk staggered to his feet.

"But - "

He could see part of Keith's arm from here. It was - it was - broken. 

Keith's arm was broken.

He was buried in rubble, and his arm was broken.

Hunk stumbled forwards a few steps. Maybe - maybe he could - help. 

He began to dig.

* * *

* * *

Static sounded over the comms. 

Keith really had to concentrate to make out the words.

"Hunk, buddy, please, you gotta get out of there - "

Lance might have been crying. It was hard to tell. 

"You can't get him out of there before they get to you. Please, Hunk -"

Hunk wasn't listening. Keith could tell he wasn't, because some of the awful pressure on his outstretched arm vanished.

But Lance was right.

Hunk had to get out of here, now.

So Keith told his friend to run.

Hunk hesitated.

Keith told him it was fine.

Reluctantly, Hunk retreated to a hiding place.

* * *

* * *

Moments later, the soldiers came.

From where he lay, pinned down by the rubble, Keith could sense their eyes fall upon him.

He swallowed, wishing he could hide, but knowing there was no way he could escape what was coming.

From somewhere above him, someone chuckled.

"Hmm. We caught one of them, at least."

Claws gripped Keith by the hair, forcing him to face the celing. A serrated knife came to rest against his throat. 

"Where is your friend, Paladin?"

It hurt to talk. It even hurt to breathe. 

Even so, Keith told them to fuck off. 

_He wasn't going to let them kill his friend._

Something hissed in displeasure.

"You _dare_ defy me?"

Keith opened his eyes, so he could glare back up at the bastard more efficiently.

"Seems so," he said. 

Then the blade pressed harder against his skin, and Keith flinched before he could stop himself.

The knife wielder chuckled.

"Ah. It appears you _are_ afraid of pain."

Something in the way he said it caused chills to run down Keith's spine.

* * *

* * *

At any other moment in time, Hunk would have found the bleeding head injury he'd sustained as something terrifying.

But, at this particular moment, the fear for his teammate was much, much worse.

* * *

* * *

The enemy captain sheathed his knife and began to walk around the rubble, as if musing upon the answer to a riddle.

"How awful," he said, his smile twisting with cruel amusement. "You really are _trapped_ , aren't you?"

So saying, he reached out, put one hand on the largest stone pinning Keith to the ground, and leaned casually against it, bringing the full weight down on the Red Paladin's legs.

Keith's world went white.

He thought he might have screamed.

_Could you scream if you couldn't breathe?_

He wasn't sure.

The pressure vanished. 

"Where is your friend?"

Keith couldn't answer.

_He couldn't._

_Hunk was his **friend**_.

Pressure, again, this time on his right arm, sudden and fierce and awful -

It didn't stop.

The soldier just kept smiling down at him. It was an awful expression, one that looked down at someone as it twisted the knife into their guts and laughed at the pain it caused.

The pain was so bad.

_But he couldn't_ -

The soldier raised his foot, still smiling that empty, awful, twisted smile, and slowly brought it down towards Keith's eyes. 

Desperate to avoid further pain, the Red Paladin tried to twist his face away, but the booted foot settled onto the back of his neck, forcing Keith's forehead flat against the cold stone of the tunnel floor.

Keith managed to turn his head to one side, but the boot only shifted its position. Now it pinned Keith into place against the stone floor so that all he could see was the broken wall of the tunnel. Shards of rock and splinters of wood dug into the side of his face.

God, it _hurt._

Against Keith's will, tears began to well up in his eyes. 

He didn't want to show how much it hurt, but the bastard did see, and the laugh that followed burned its way into Keith's brain. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so small, or weak, or worthless. His body hurt, but the contempt that was aimed at him made everything so much worse. It was something that looked down at him and told him he was less than nothing.

* * *

* * *

Rationality left Hunk's brain at that point.

He moved without thinking.

* * *

* * *

The soldier leaned forwards, grinding his heel against the side of Keith's face. 

"Tell me where your friend is hiding."

Keith choked out a gurgling cry.

He just wanted the pain to stop.

But - Hunk was his _friend._

_He couldn't betray his friend._

The pressure didn't go away.

It hurt.

It hurt so _much._

* * *

* * *

The Yellow Paladin slammed his make-shift weapon against the enemy soldier's head. Then Hunk let the huge rock fall from his hands, and when it hit the ground, he kicked it away. Ignoring the now-dead soldier, he rushed back to Keith's side.

"Hang on, Keith," he said. "I'm - going to get you out of here, okay?"

* * *

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, hands reached towards Keith, grabbed hold of his shoulders, and pulled him free from the rubble.

He tried to open his eyes, but everything ached and pounded with pain.

He couldn't even twitch his fingers, or turn his head away when someone's palm touched the side of his face.

_No, please, no._

He couldn't do it again.

_Please, stop._

"...'se...s..p..."

Voices echoed around him, some worried, some terrified. 

"-think it's a concussion -"

"-pods, _now_ -"

"On it, Princess - "

Somewhere nearby, Hunk was talking. Something about...injuries...

Before he lost consciousness, Keith had just enough time to hope his friend was okay.


End file.
